Thursday, December 8, 2011

Galleta's Chicken or Pollo Dominicano

When we worked at the Spanish Language Village, a language and culture immersion program, our cook was Jan, better known as Galleta. At the Villages all the recipes have to be authentic. One day she got a big batch of chicken legs so she decided to make something Caribbean. She invented this chicken marinated in rum, lime or lemon juice, and soy sauce. This one has been the favorite dish for years of villagers and staff members in the program as well as in our home. Because of the ingredients, Galleta decided to call it "Pollo Dominicano." My friends in Spain call it "drunken chicken."

To marinate the chicken:

Cover with a mixture of equal parts 1/3 rum, 1/3 lime or lemon juice, and 1/3 soy sauce. Keep it overnight in the refrigerator.

For the dry batter:

Equal parts of powdered milk and flour and a generous dash of paprika.

Preheat the oven to 375˚. Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat dry and then dust with the batter. Bake for 60-75 minutes until the chicken is done. Serve with rice and your favorite vegetables.

The chicken is very juicy because the dry batter keeps the juices in. Also, your kitchen will smell fantastic!